Batinick offers two-year budget without 'feral cats' or 'catfish'

State legislators need to leave foolishness at the doorstep when they return for a special session this week, Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) said, according to a press release.

"I’m glad that we’re going back to Springfield to finally discuss the budget, after we spent the majority of this year voting on frivolous bills on feral cats, naming roads, and labeling catfish on restaurant menus,” Batinick said in his statement.

Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield)

Gov. Bruce Rauner has called lawmakers back to Springfield for the session, which will continue until a budget deal is done or June 30, when the current fiscal year ends. Without a budget in place for fiscal year 2018, Illinois is expected to face another credit downgrade.

In a bid to prevent more strained negotiations next year, Batnick proposed a two-year budget that he said would prevent posturing during the 2018 election cycle.

“We have to put our priorities in the right place,” Batnick said in his statement. “Right now, that means toning down the rhetoric and passing a state budget to end this destructive, unnecessary impasse. While we’re at it, we should embrace this opportunity to pass a two-year budget, to take the politics of the 2018 election out of the budget process altogether and provide much-needed stability to our state at this critical time.”